London: The University of Buckingham has conferred the Honorary Doctorate on Shaikha Shaikha Bint Saif Al Nahyan, wife of Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE President, in recognition of her incessant support and care for thalassemia patients and for her distinguished medical and social engagement in spreading awareness and treating the disease within the UAE and overseas.
The UAE prominent medical philanthropist has joined an elite of eminent personalities who received the honour like former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a number of lords and academicians.
Professor Terence Kealey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, presented the degree to Shaikha Shaikha in a grand ceremony held at the historic Fishmongers' Hall in London in the presence of Professor Alistair Alcock, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and deans of faculties.
In his welcome address, Professor Kealey appreciated the unstinting services offered by Shaikha Shaikha in heightening preventive health awareness and her substantial support and care for the thalassemia patients through her role as President of the Emirates Thalassemia Society (ETS) and of the first-ever Regional Office of the Thalassemia International Federation in Abu Dhabi. He added that Shaikha Shaikha will provide patronage to an international thalessaemia conference Abu Dhabi will host next October.
In her acceptance remarks, Shaikha Sheikha said she was extremely delighted for being honoured by the prestigious British university.
She said the honour was a recognition for the role the UAE woman is playing in advancing education and health services and humanitarian work, a key driver of the UAE development model, whose pillars were laid down by the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is being pushed forward today by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
